8/9/12—Finding Your Source of Power

Today's Draw: The Devil from the Nigel Jackson Tarot. Do you believe in the Devil? What external sources of power do you identify with? And how does that separate you from others and your God?

One of the nice things about using different decks every day is that I get to explore some of the decks I've basically looked at and never used. So I discover new and amazing cards. I love this Devil card. The colors are so intense and beautiful!

So it's Day Four of Oneness Week, the week that's all about seeing the similarities in others, rather than the differences...the week of seeing ourselves reflected in the sparkle of 8 billion sets of eyes. 

In Biblical terms, the Devil is an angel whose pride and arrogance got him turned out of the kingdom of heaven. When we're arrogant enough to see ourselves as superior to anyone or anything, we turn ourselves away from God, too. Because God is in all those things we're "too good" to align with. We betray our God because we place ourselves above the things he has brought into this world. 

I've really not mentioned this except in passing, but oneness includes all things, not just people. When we disrespect natural resources, we're disrespecting the soul of God. I believe they are here for all living beings to use, but in a sustainable way. And when we disrespect the creatures of this earth, we disrespect our fellow animals. Our arrogance alone is what tells us that humans are somehow different from all the creatures on this planet. Science certainly doesn't support that belief. Scientifically speaking, we're just another species. Somehow we manage to forget that. 

At the root of the Devil card is a thirst for power and status that is externally identified, aka ego. By that, I mean considering money, rank or title—things outside of yourself—as a measure of your power. Devil/ego energy strips the individual of their self-identified power and chains them to measures of power they have no control over. Once chained to external means of power, our individual and god-given power wanes and we become the devil's puppets. 

In fact, the first step in the Devil's "grooming" is separating you from the infinite power of God/Source/Universe. Each time you identify with external sources, such as money, drugs, sex and other "pleasures of the flesh", you move further from God. Unlike traditional religious teachings, however, I believe you're free to enjoy all of these things. You're also able to seek the rush of endorphins they offer by means that exist within yourself, such as meditation, self love and moments of transcendence. It's when you turn yourself over to these things that the devil works his way in. It's when you value those things over yourself and god that you become chained to the devil. 

FYI, I'm not a believer in the actual Devil, I'm talking about the card here and the principle behind it. In the tarot, the Devil is more Pan-like than Satan-like anyway. Following the idea of oneness, nothing is separate from us, so our devil is within, just as our god is. And that's another aspect of this card. Also, I'm speaking to you philosophically here from the standpoint of beliefs that make sense to me. It's ok if you believe differently. The whole point of this blog is to put out thoughts that evoke spiritual- and self-examination, not to bring you around to my way of thinking.

Anyway, bringing the discussion back around again, seeing others as separate is a way of a) seeing yourself separate from God and b) seeking external identification of power (in the sense that being "better than" them is your source of power.) Authentic power comes from the self-identified confidence of knowing you're good and powerful and wonderful without anyone needing to be bad and weak and terrible in the process. Authentic power comes not from comparing yourself to others, but from knowing you are the light of god in human form. Same as everyone else. And their light is of no threat to yours. 

7/21/12-7/22/12—Making the Right Choice

Weekend Reading: 22/Rain, 24/Sunset and 32/Snow from the Transparent Oracle by Emily Carding. Read individually, these cards speak of cleansing and renewal, closure and peace, and purity and silence—all good things to take into your weekend. But if you examine the three cards placed on top of one another (as you can only do with Emily's transparent cards), you may notice all three forms of water are depicted...solid, in form of snow; liquid, in the form of droplets; and gas, in the form of the steamy rays of the sun. We, too, have a trinity of forms—body, mind/ego and spirit/soul. Water doesn't have a choice in the form it takes. Surrounding conditions of temperature dictate the form it assumes. But we do have a choice in how we respond to surrounding conditions. We can respond physically. We can respond with our intellect or ego self. Or we can respond with our spirit/soul self. Remember this weekend that, no matter what happens outside you, you have a choice. You are in control of how you respond. So consider responding in the way that brings more love, joy and self respect into your life.

7/19/12—Having it All

Today's Draw: Feast from the Gifting Bones. Are you someone who wants it all right now? Does your bank account suffer because of it? Or have you developed a good balance between feast and fast?

It's still All About Ego Week here at the Daily Draw and today's draw is a Gifting Bone. Gifting bones are little porcelain rods with a drawing on each side. They're all about duality or opposing forces. So while I drew Feast, the other side of the bone is Fast.

One of the lessons about ego is that it's a necessary part of being human. Along with the body, it's what differentiates us from our spirit-self form. So the object is not to eradicate ego, but temper it....seek balance with it. Like we might temper our feasting with fasting. Or, better, just consume wisely at all times.

The message of the Gifting Bone "Feast" is to look at all that's on offer to us at this time and determine what's right for us in this moment. It sounds like it makes sense, but we know people who want to have it all, whether that means material things or a combination of material things and pursuits. Chances are you may even feel that pull yourself. 

Our current financial issues in the United States, I think, came about from people wanting it all, right now. The bankers wanted it all right now. The homebuyers who bought overpriced or oversized homes wanted it all right now. People with loads of credit debt wanted it all right now. We're a nation of people who want it all right now and I include myself among them. 

What's working for me in this equation, is that I fast as much as I feast, financially speaking. I may be a conspicuous consumer of tarot decks, but I make tradeoffs. There are a lot of things I don't have that other people do...like a new car, new furnishings, electronic toys, a cell phone contract, new appliances, a nicer neighborhood...debt, haha....the list goes on and on. I may want it all, but I make tradeoffs within my personal economy.

Frankly I need to make more tradeoffs to put money aside, so I don't mean to paint myself in a wholly favorable light. But when I look at statistics about credit card debt, home debt and car debt, then compare that to where I am, it's clear there are a lot of people who aren't stopping where they should...who are feasting more than they fast. And that all goes back to the thing about finding value and affirmation in things outside of yourself.

So while there are many ways to measure whether your ego is in balance, this is one that came to us today. You know what you can afford and what you can't...what you're giving up for what you have. Are you in a good place...saving for retirement, your kid's education, paying off all your debt? Or could you do better? I could do better. I could make more tradeoffs.

One of the things our economy has done for a lot of people is show them what's really important. Ask someone who's been unemployed at some point over the past few years, or who has lost their home and they'll tell you what's important. It's not where you live, but the fact you have a roof over your head. It's not what luxuries you have, but the fact you have the necessities of survival. I imagine from that humbling perspective, the whole idea of "having it all" takes on a different definition.

So many of us will never have to face facts that hard. We're fortunate. Many of us are choosing between Whole Foods and Giant, Apple or Dell, Ruth's Chris and Sizzler. Those are fortunate choices to have. We still get to "have it all" and even take it for granted for the time being. So while we're in such a fortunate place, it wouldn't hurt to consider what's feeding our ego vs. what's feeding our survival and maybe make a few more tradeoffs in our lives. We may find out that "having it all" is more about having the choice and using it to make tradeoffs than it is about getting everything we want.

7/18/12—Finding Your Purpose

Today's Draw: Ace of Water from the Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert. Do you know your purpose in life? Do you suspect that, at this moment, you're living out of alignment with your purpose? And how can ego concerns help you find your true north?

Here we are midway through All About The Ego week and I'm worried I'll run out of things to say before week's end. Fortunately, this Ace of Water has come to us before and what I said about it then has applications to the ego. The entry was all about seeking your personal holy grail. There's a link to it at the end of this entry for Facebook users. 

What often happens when we get too caught up in things like money and reputation and appearances is that we make choices that detour us from what we really came here to do. And few, if any of us, escape getting caught up in ego matters. It's part of being human.

One way this might look is that someone who's really talented at art might choose to be an architect instead of an illustrator. They do this because the perception is that architects make money and artists don't. Architects are also mainstream in society and artists exist on the fringe. 

So we make the practical, acceptable, "smart" choice, rather than the one that calls to us. And we subordinate our artistic side, when that's probably the side that better drives purpose we came here to express. By the time we get to the point in life that we question how our life aligns with our purpose, we've convinced ourselves that art isn't part of it, so we struggle to find our holy grail.

For most of us, finding our purpose—our holy grail—follows a process similar to the salmon's. They swim hundreds of miles to live most of their lives in the ocean, but return back upstream again to spawn in the freshwater spot they were born in.

Like the salmon spawn swimming in the fresh waters of the river, I believe we were all born with a clear compass pointing to our purpose. As we moved toward adulthood, we swam closer to the ocean and our lives adjusted to the saltwater of "real life", which includes ego concerns. We swim around in that for much of our lives, then move away from our "saltwater ways", making our way back to the clarity we held before the ego concerns of adulthood overtook our lives.

Obviously this doesn't speak for everyone. But the majority of us work and live a certain way for many years before we begin to realize that there's got to be something more...a higher purpose. So how you do you begin to find *your* purpose? Well, I think the clues are scattered throughout your life. So think back on your life and explore the common denominators in questions like:

•  What did you want to do when you were a kid?

•  What are your favorite hobbies? And why?

•  If money were no object, what would you do?

•  How have you chosen to volunteer in the past?

•  What is effortless for you that is hard for other people?

•  What energizes you?

•  What was your proudest day? And what about it made you proud?

•  What do you "get" that you think others don't get in life? 

•  What do yearn to have the time and/or resources to do?

•  If you knew your unique talent, what would it be?

When I looked back on my own life in this manner, writing was always a talent of mine, as was my ability to envision things through the eyes of others. And as I grew older, I saw my desire to help or heal others emerge, along with a desire to teach. My proudest moments as a writer have not been the awards I've won, but rather when a client reports back that they got results. I cry at shows where people have emotional/spiritual breakthroughs or they achieve their best moments. I've also become a very spiritual person and someone with a wide body of knowledge in spiritual matters in my adulthood.

So when I look at all of that, I see my purpose as healing and teaching others with my words. And, quite frankly, the times I've been most engaged in my writing career are those times my writing has taken a spiritual, healing, educational bent. This blog is one of the things that is bringing my entire life into alignment with that purpose. But it's a process that's taking years to complete. It's about way more than my career. It's about who I am as a person. Like the salmon, I have to readjust to fresh waters again.

It's important to note that some of the things that go into making my life's purpose aren't things I feel like I was born with. They were lessons that emerged from my immersion in the saltwater of the ego. Just as the salmon lives much of its life in the ocean, so do we. That experience is what matures the salmon and brings it to full adulthood. And leaving that experience leads them back to the legacy they were meant to create.

So seeing what I came up with for my life's purpose, what clues can you excavate about your own? Or do you already know it? And where are you in the salmon's journey of life? Once you uncover your purpose and become energized by it, you'll see the ego concerns that have dogged you will begin to float away.

7/17/12—Seeing the Wow of the Tao

Today's Draw: Queen of Swords from Art of Life Tarot. How powerful do you feel in your world? What will make you happy that you don't already have? Are you ready to find your Tao?

This week's topic is the ego. Yesterday I told you what the ego is—essentially looking outside yourself for motivation and self-value. But one thing I didn't say (which a wise woman reminded me of today) is that the goal of the spiritual seeker isn't to eradicate ego entirely. We are human and ego is a necessary part of the human experience. 

However, when we identify ourselves by external means—when our jobs, possessions, reputation, etc. become our source of power—we separate ourselves from our greatest source of power. And that's what today's card is all about. The card contains a quote from Lao Tzu that says:

"Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you."

Taking this at face value, if you can be happy with what you have and the way things are, it naturally follows that nothing is lacking and you have everything you need. But that's taking it at face value. There's something much deeper in this quote because it comes from Lao Tzu, the father of Taoism. 

You've probably heard of the Tao before (pronounced "Dow"). The Tao is a hard word to pin down. It literally means "the path" or "the way". But it also refers to the source and creator behind all that exists. For Taoists, that source comes more from an interconnectedness than a physical God. I think of it as akin more to the idea of the "the universe" than a Judeo/Christian image of God. One of the first things Lao Tzu tells us about the Tao is that "the Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao". So ultimately, it cannot be defined in words or understood with logic. It is better felt and sensed. 

The ego and the Tao are at odds. The Tao is all about entwining yourself with all creation in such a way that you are as if the same organism as creation. In the Tao, the source of power is within you. In fact it's everywhere, but the recognition of it within you is what creates the difference between ego and inner Tao. Because with the ego, the source of power is external. It's in what others see and think of you. Go too far in that direction and you lose sight of the Tao...the path to our higher being. 

So, "be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are" is essentially saying that the way things are is a gift god co-created just for you, with you. Because all of life is a co-creation between you and your god, you not separate from anything you need. Because your god is everywhere and you are entwined with it, the world belongs to you. You are not separate from anything you desire, because you are not separate from source of all creation. 

The ego mind separates you from god—creation is outside of you for you to seek and claim. And we all know that cycle...the second you get what you want, you want more. The Tao mind reminds you that all of the infinite abundance and recognition you need is already yours. Right this second, it exists in that Tao place where it can be felt and sensed. And if you want to hold it in your hands, then align with the Tao, understand the Tao and it will appear. Once you realize the power of that, you can create situations that fulfill, rather than situations that keep you wanting more.

In the way of the Tao (the principles of which are practiced in countless religions around the world) there is nothing we are separate from...no human condition, no desire, no deity, no acclaim, nothing. When Moses asked God his name, he replied "I am that I am". Take the word "that" and add anything to it. "I am that tree. I am." "I am that homeless man. I am." "I am that bird. I am." Practicing this type of meditation/mantra alone can bring you into alignment with the Tao.

If God is everything, then God is you. And if God is you, then you are that bird. You are. There is nothing separate from you. There is nothing to lack. The whole world already belongs to you. Which is WAY better than identifying with anything outside of yourself. When you walk this path, it starts out as a principle or a philosophy. Then it becomes real. And enduring. That is the value of taming the ego.

HELP! If the first three letters of your name are Rad and you usually come to my tarot meetups, please email me at schmedrake@yahoo.com. (I know your name, but don't want to print it for the world to see...haha)

7/16/12—Getting Real With Your Ego

Today's Draw: Duration from the Tao Oracle by Ma Deva Padma. Think back to your first memories of yourself...what was true then that is true today? Is there a part of that you suppress because it just wouldn't fly with your family or friends? Do you know who you were born to be?

This week's theme is all about the ego—what it is and how to move past it. I had a bit of a hard time when I first came across the idea of ego in my spiritual studies. To me, ego meant "being full of yourself". But in a way, in spiritual terms, it's the opposite. It's more like being full of everything but yourself.

Ego is that part of you that seeks external affirmation. That part that's motivated by external stimuli. And that part that gets your cues on how to be from external sources. And by "external", I'm talking about anything outside of yourself.

So ego is that part of you that measures yourself by your title, bank account or the way others see you. Your ego cares whether or not others approve of you. It gets restless when a new technology comes out that everyone "should have". It worries about wrinkles and gray hairs. And when it's not conforming to social norms, it's rebelling against them. For better or worse, the ego drives you based on what society deems correct, what others will think and what others expect from you.

For anyone on a spiritual path, the time will come when the ego gets so cumbersome that you cannot continue moving forward with it on your shoulders. It puts distance between you and your higher self or authentic self. For many of us it's hard to even know what's genuinely authentic to us because it's hard to tell where our parent's dreams for us end and we begin...or where society's norms end and we begin. Are we who we are because we consciously chose it? Or were we shaped and molded by the expectations placed upon us? And why is that even important?

As today's card shows, it's important because when you are living in your authentic self, no matter what happens outside you, you will never lose sight of yourself. If you lose your job, you won't lose your identity. If you lose your home, you won't lose your value. If you lose your looks or your spouse or your health, you won't lose your "self". No matter what happens outside the mountain, the mountain remains unchanged. It is what it is, what it always was and what it was always meant to be.

It's also important because, when we're aligned with our higher selves, we have more personal power. We're better able to serve others. Things fall into place and become less of a struggle. We stop being controlled and we stop controlling. We no longer need to be right or understood. And when we detach from needing to be liked, accepted and understood, we free ourselves from the fears that drive inauthentic decisions.

Be honest with yourself. How much of yourself is the way it is because it's what was expected of you? Or because it's proper...or practical? Or because you find people like you better this way? Or because you're rebelling against conformity? Or because you seek to control? Or because it's what you can be successful at? These are all externally focused motivations. Now what parts of you are authentic to you...the you you were born to be? That's a really hard thing to excavate! But valuable to know. Can you imagine dying without ever knowing who you were?

Like the mountains in the card, our authentic self is that part of us that is eternal and unchanging....solid and strong. It is at one with nature and the universe...a part of the "god" organism rather than separate from it. Ego tells us that everything worth having and being is outside of ourselves and just within reach if we just do more, be more, get more. When we shed that ego, however, we see that everything worth having exists within us. We've already arrived.

6/25/12—Taking Control of Shapshifting Emotions

Today's Draw: Island of the Revolving Beast from the Celtic Book of the Dead oracle. Are you quick to anger? Do you often find that something comes along to ruin a perfectly good day? Do you have a hard time maintaining a sense of peace in your life?

As it turns out, last week's readings were all focused on creating change in our lives. And many weeks, come Wednesday or Thursday, I'll notice that the cards are following one theme or another. So this week I thought I'd make that intentional and, each day, ask how we can create more peace in our lives. 

A "Book of the Dead" is a funerary text to help ease the transition of a dead or dying person as they prepare for the otherworld. It contains prayers, as well as details the states we encounter after death. Perhaps originated by a shaman, priest or some other traveller into the other realms, these ancient texts were subject to great interpretation as they were often part of an oral tradition or had multiple versions preserved on scrolls or papyrus.

In the Celtic culture, the Book of the Dead is told in Immrama, or poems about a hero's oceanic quest in search of the otherworld. I was surprised to find that these poems are Christian in nature, not pagan as we're used to finding with the Celts. Certainly today "Irish Catholic" are two words that are inextricably intertwined, but in the world of mysticism and tarot, the Celts are all about paganism (earth-centered or polytheistic types of religion.) In a way, this deck pulls together the mythic nature of Celtic paganism with the ideas of paradise and transformation in Celtic Christianity.

So, with the intention of creating more peace in our lives, I chose the Island of the Revolving Beast. On the hero's quest for the underworld, they land upon 33 islands. And on this island, they are greeted by an angry beast who changed shape "quicker than thought". Does that sound like anyone you know...perhaps even yourself?

We all have a tendency to respond to things "quicker than thought". We can be fine one minute, but if our no-whip soy Caramel Macchiatto is made incorrectly—or takes too long to make—all bets are off. In any given day, we may shapeshift dozens of times. Most of the time we won't even notice it. The more we sit within our ego, the more often this will happen. And by ego I mean that part of us that walks within our own head, instead of inside the universe's head. The difference between the two is the difference between the experiencer and the observer....between the participator and the detached. 

When we're inside the head of the experiencer, we have no choice but to react. We have no choice to but to see the impact the situation is having on us in the moment. When we're inside the head of the observer, we simply see a situation....or the situation as it fits into the continuum of life. We come out of ourselves and see a truer version of what is going in...not just how something impacts us, but how the something fits into a larger pattern. We're more able to see the basic nature of ourselves, others and life. In the head of the ego, peace is fleeting and controlled by outside forces. In the head of the detached, peace becomes more of a constant and is less vulnerable to attack. 

One way to come out of the ego is to retrain yourself to pause before reacting. Reaction really is a habit you can break. Sure, you're going to still have moments when something pokes you when your guard is down. But most of the time you're able to take a moment before you respond and, in that moment, you can breathe, detach and remind yourself it's not all about you. There's something bigger going on. It's not an attack on you. Even when things sound and look like an attack on you, they're usually about the other person and a million other things, too. 

Another way to come out of the ego is to learn to trust that everything happens for reason. Everything is part of a much bigger pattern you don't have all of the pieces of yet. Again, it's not all about you. And another thing you can do is to play it like a game. What would this situation be like if I floated out of my body and saw it from the outside? What are the intentions of the players? What is really going on underneath the facade of their words and actions? Look at things clinically, like a doctor. Detach from what feels personal...because it's probably not. 

When it comes down to it, peace comes from a place of centeredness within. And you are in control of what disturbs that peace. You can point to outside forces as the cause of that disturbance ("I was having a pleasant drive until some asshole cut me off in traffic") but the real cause of the disturbance is the shapeshifting nature of your own ego—something you have complete control over.

Part of what I ask of my readers, when they're ready, is to do the tough work. To take personal responsibility for their lives. And one of those tough things is to move away from victimhood and realize there are no assholes and no people out to get you. The assholes and people who are out to get you are people who haven't yet healed something within them. And they come into your life to show you where you haven't yet healed yourself. They don't do this to show you're just like them. A mirror reflects back a mirror image, not the image a camera, for example, sees. So others don't mirror back to us in kind, they mirror back to us where our vulnerabilities are so we can heal them. 

When you're walking in the ego, you're just going to react and never see what's being mirrored back. It's not until you can step out of the ego, see why this situation is coming to you and see what it's triggering in you, that you'll be able to see the path toward healing it—the path toward replacing anger, frustration, annoyance, sadness and despair with peace.